THEATER REVIEW:

We haven’t seen “Under Papa’s Picture” in these parts in a good 30 years and, as the Huntington Beach Playhouse currently illustrates, there’s probably a legitimate reason.

George Tibbles and Joe Connelly’s 1970s-flavored frantic comedy doesn’t stand up well for today’s audiences, as its decor and wardrobe fairly screams “’70s.”

So, unfortunately, does its mindset. The crux of the story is the pregnancy of a middle-aged, unmarried widow and the horror it unleashes on her uptight, company-man son. There are considerable chuckles along the way, but no good belly laughs.

Driving the play are the character flaws of the son, a young vice president at Du Pont who’s up to his eyebrows in the Catholic church.

At the Huntington Beach Playhouse, director Jim Rice has struck gold with Justin Young, a button-down force of moralistic fury.

Deborah Marchant as his politely subservient wife is smooth and attractive, but there’s not much comedy left for her character once Young grabs his share.

The comedy really hits the fan with the arrival of mother Grace — eight months along. Kimberly Wooldridge secures whatever laughs Young misses in this character. The role-reversal gimmick works well with the two strongest actors.

The prospective father, a proud Italian artist who disdains his prospective son-in-law, is enacted by Richard Hawkes, whose physical appearance is striking, but who leaves his Italian accent at the front door.

Aside from Young’s performance, the best thing about “Papa’s” is its imposing Southern California kitschy setting. The retro costumes are a treat, especially Hawkes’ flamboyant getups.

“Under Papa’s Picture” has rested in peace for decades locally. It’s disinterred under considerable stress by the Huntington Beach Playhouse.

 

A fresh, lively ‘Music Man’ revival

Look up “multitasking” in the dictionary and you won’t find a picture of Tim Nelson, but you should.

Nelson’s titles include musical theater director for Huntington Beach’s Academy for the Performing Arts, resident musical director of the Curtain Call Dinner Theater and managing director of the Rose Center Theater, where his latest production of “The Music Man” is inspiring a new generation of tapping toes.

Nelson also brilliantly performs the leading role of professor Harold Hill, the traveling con man who loses his heart to an Iowa librarian. It’s a tour de force for this ageless showman.

“The Music Man” rivals “The Sound of Music” as America’s finest family musical. Meredith Willson’s superlative score, with its 76 trombones, paints a lustrous picture of early 20th century Americana, one that Nelson and his huge company have faithfully recreated.

Ensemble excellence abounds in numbers like “Trouble,” “Marian the Librarian,” “The Wells Fargo Wagon” and “76 Trombones,” the show’s anthem, for which feet fly and the tempo is crisp.

Nelson added a full chorus of Pick-a-Little Ladies and a rousing finish that gives him a chance to execute a few blats on the trombone. As an actor, he employs his boyish charm and silver tongue to seduce the River City townspeople, always keeping a few steps ahead of the law — in this case the school board members, transformed into a barber shop quartet.

His primary obstacle is the steely librarian, beautifully enacted and sung with a soaring soprano by Tricia Griffin, a former local luminary brought in from Turlock to reprise this role. Nelson’s wife, Mary Murphy-Nelson, takes a Carol Burnett-style approach to the role of the mayor’s wife, with hilarious results.

Cliff Senior blusters as the befuddled mayor, while Sylvia Nelson delivers a sweet and rich interpretation of Mrs. Paroo. Vincent Aniceto is animated as the professor’s partner in crime and local livery stable worker.

Kent Johnson lends staunch support as the local constable. Glynn Montemayor is a brash young lothario pursuing the mayor’s daughter (a comically cute Katie Bartosch). Young Michael Keane earns his stripes as the lisping Winthrop, sputtering his way through “Gary, Indiana.”

Three more Bartosches — Matt, Alex and Bob — join Brian Chapman to form the harmonic foursome of former squabblers. Gary Canavello simmers and fumes as the anvil salesman out to expose the professor, while Melanie Mitchell is an adorable Amaryllis, Winthrop’s admirer.

“The Music Man” is a joyous production. The Rose Theater’s sound system remains an irritant, and the lighting cues could be sharper, but the show itself is enormously enjoyable.

WHAT: “Under Papa’s Picture”

WHO: Huntington Beach Playhouse

WHERE: Library Theater, 7111 Talbert Ave.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday

COST: $18 to $20

CALL: (714) 375-0696

 

WHAT: “The Music Man”

WHERE: Rose Center Theater, 14140 All American Way, Westminster

WHEN: Closing performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.

COST: $15 to $20

CALL: (714) 793-1150

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.